Solitary fibrous tumours of the infratemporal fossa. Two case reports

Introduction: The solitary fibrous tumour is a rare neoplasm originally described as a pleural tumour. An increasing number of different locations are described in the literature. Among the extrapulmonary sites, head and neck can be involved and particularly the nose, the paranasal sinuses, the submandibular region, the parapharyngeal space and the infratemporal fossa. Material: Two cases, one of a young woman and another of an elderly gentleman are reported, each presenting with a solitary fibrous tumour of the infratemporal fossa. In one case an antero-lateral, transcranio-facial and in the other, a transmandibular approach (without labiotomy) were utilized. In both cases complete excision of the lesion and good cosmetic results were achieved. Results: Both patients were free from the disease for 5 postoperatively. Conclusions: To date, very few cases of solitary fibrous tumour of the craniofacial complex have been observed to enable an accurate prognosis. Thus, treatment and follow-up should be identical to fibrous tumours located in other areas. (C) 2006 European Association for Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery.